This post began with the Port Authority, but migrated to include a lot on Detroit through the reporting of a certain journal originally out of New York, but then (on picking up some more foundation funding — 5 ones were mentioned specifically, but I believe Rockefeller was one of the first — started a quarterly print magazine (B/W) called “The Next American City” which didn’t make ends meet, that is much anyhow.

It later moved to Philadelphia in a classy central building, and became primarily an on-line, daily, and with long-form articles.  The article I saw recommended that the Port Authority of NY/NJ  be “killed” that is, let to die a natural death and replaced by separate authorities of the respective states. Naturally, I started asking questions about that journal.

Post Title & Shortlink: Politics, Governors, Attorney-Generals and The Port Authority of NY/NJ (The Downside of Public/Private Partnerships) – SeeAlso “NextCity,” and another UNESCO “Name It and Claim it” Project in Detroit (short-link ending “-4hX” post originally published Sept. 5, 2016, now 16,000 words)

The Argonaut Building, renamed in 2009 the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education (originally the Argonaut, or General Motors Research Laboratory), is a large office building located at 485 West Milwaukee Avenue in the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan, across the street from Cadillac Place. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.^[1]

This image is from “EnterpriseCommunity.com” (Click on color photo of top of the building to access)

(WHERE POST STARTED AS FIRST PUBLISHED – – – – – – )

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (“MEDC”) and with it, the “Michigan Strategic Fund” (“MSF”) came up in this post when looking at the Port Authority situation led to an article by NEXTCITY.org, which led to the illuminating information that UNESCO has ac/claimed Detroit as the first USA “City of Design.” (“DC3”) a project which involves Business Leaders for Michigan (“BLFM”) and the College for Creative Sciences (“CCS”).

I found out more on how our state universities — which are public institutions — are getting globalized, in “GAIA” at Rutgers. that is “Global Advancement and International Affairs.”  This is hooked into the US Department of State, and it’s moving fast forward along a certain model, with the prestigious “*.edu” website justifying the process.

(more, when link becomes active, at “…(GAIA at Rutgers, Obama Admin’s “YALI” + the reticent-to-explain-itself nonprofit “IREX,” and a Quick Primer/Refresher on The World Bank and IMF)” which represents only about half the full post title, which starts with “Gender Wars” (stemming from the GAIA reference, obviously no accident in acronyms).

Obviously that won’t all fit on one post, but this is an introduction of the various topics and their relationship to each other and to why we should protest the continued takeover of center cities by public/private partnerships which existed before those city centers fell apart.

My, oh, my, the drill-down of the involved parties get real interesting…it looks like the people that were running things (state-wide) LONG before Detroit, and parts of Michigan, went economically belly-up, had prepared to take over the reconstruction of the broken-down city centers and transforming them into new, glamorously and politically-correct (if you’re a fan of NWO and UN taking over the USA) PR-friendly labels, with a token gesture to keeping jobs local.

Shortlink to last post published 8/25/2016==> “Case in Point, NEVER skip the Business 501(c)3  Entity Lookups, and Watch the “Fiscal Agent” organizations! (Edward Charles Foundation, Fiscal Agent to “FreedomAdvocates” and, apparently, the Stars (post begun 7/3/2016)

Shortlink to this post ==>”Politics, Governors, Attorney-Generals and The Port Authority of NY/NJ (The Downside of Public/Private Partnerships) – SeeAlso “NextCity,” and another UNESCO “Name It and Claim it” Project in Detroit” (A “shortlink” here is like WordPress’s version of “tinyurl.com.”  The link contains letters which appear to be case-sensitive).

“PortauthorityNYNJConf.com” shows upcoming 9/21/2016 CUNY (City University of NY) conference for Construction Industry, “Building Relationships for Lasting Success” and talking about the major reconstruction/development projects with this Port Authority

Shortlink to next intended (but not guaranteed) post; the link will become active (regardless of title) when it’s published follows up on NextCity as a nonprofit and its five-named foundation financiers: How  501©3 “The Next American City,” with help from at least Five BIG Foundations, lost its “American,” while Devastated Detroit’s DESIGN is Anointed by UNESCO, This post references the UNESCO “Name It and Claim it” habit as endorsed by public/private partnerships — regarding the City of Detroit and explores some of “DC3” the Detroit Creative Corridor Center, which came up in the context of a 2014  article by “Next City, Inc.” on the politics affecting transportation networks regarding this Port Authority of NY/NJ.

A subsequent post called Did Regionalism under Public/Private Partnerships Help Detroit the First Time Around?  A Look at MEDC, MSF, and Recent Gubernatorial EROs (Exec. Reorganization Orders) came from my noticing how Gubernatorial “Executive Reorganization Orders” (EROs) — lots of them in this century — started setting up new boards, and re-arranging the power to distribute grants set up under a year 2000 Michigan Trust Fund.   The takeover,. in other words, has been progressive and it looks like we have to keep a closer eye (state by state) on the shift in state laws also, particularly (as it happens in Michigan) under Chapter 125:  “PLANNING, HOUSING AND ZONING.”

Below, I also look again within the State of NJ CAFRs for how this Port Authority is classified (it’s as a Joint Venture) and remind us that CAFRs report things news media doesn’t — and are free to look at, the chief investment being of one’s time, and humility (for most people, I’ll bet) of seeing with your own eyes some of the accounting tricks of the trade, and, particularly, vocabulary used to describe the public (entity) projects, at a minimum.  They are self-descriptions of how and for how much the reporting entity is organized, and what entities are underneath it, and how classified.  That’s valuable information when there’s an issue with ANY of the component, blended, or discrete units within a government entity filing a report.  Despite their length, they are good BASIC information…

My goal is to get an organizational, financial (relative size), historical (age of incorporation), and social/associational snapshot of those involved in the ongoing purpose of transforming US metropolitan cities into the international UNESCO model, instead of our elected leaders showing allegiance to those they represent and refusing to sell off artificially depressed infrastructures in a fire sale…AS IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW TO DETROIT.

UNESCO is of course associated with UN, and with the UN itself, we still need to acknowledge that the overall goal is “one world order” and part of this is undermining in authority and power, national sovereignty — and with those, constitutions, civil and legal rights under the same, and in effect, local representative government itself.  All in the name of helping localities, collectively, around the world, improve themselves and to better the planet.   Apparently, representative government is a problem for this business model.

Again, how does a UNESCO institute get set up so quickly within a public, state (NJ) university in the USA, as I just blogged — because a famous actor and peacemaker from Italy by way of Columbia agree with each other on UNESCO?  Several of the nonprofits involved haven’t even been honest with the public about who they are.

Rutgers is building its reputation, I see, as an International Center with “GAIA” (interesting acronym for http://global.rutgers.edu – Global Advancement and International Affairs)

Image from “Global.rutgers.edu” home page: “Jersey Roots, Global Reach”

The Centers for Global Advancement and International Affairs (GAIA Centers)

Rutgers faculty are leaders in innovative research and extend their excellence in teaching and service to the university, the state, and the global community. As part of its commitment to “Jersey Roots, Global Reach,” the university established the Centers for Global Advancement and International Affairs in 2011. The GAIA Centers work toward developing a comprehensive, campus-wide set of international initiatives and services, initiating collaborative projects and strategic partnerships around the world, and expanding students’ opportunities for international study and research. The GAIA Centers are founded on four pillars: Global Education, Global Programs, Global Relations, and Global Services

I notice while talking about what the Centers DO and why, there is still no clear definition or even listing of them on the website.  Even as it lists its missions, a “mission” or purpose is not a “Center.” Next quote is from the same page. Notice the lead-in sentence to the four-fold purpose, says “GAIA Centers will lead and serve” but does not define who is “GAIA Centers.”

The one I was aware of (before search results produced this) was called an Institute — not a “Center” or “Centers.”  NOTICE the date, however, is 2011.  “GAIA Centers” (whatever it is, or they are) was (or were) established in 2011 — while the Institute for International Peace was established at Rutgers in 2010 and “baptized” by UNESCO the next year.  Sounds like someone had some coordinated, university-connected, advanced planning in operation already….

How much Rutgers private funding comes from foundation and individuals of this “State Universities supported by US Citizens preparing next generation for Global Citizenship” mindset?

From some of my clicking around (I looked under “Global Programs”) on the site, I see Rutgers had already been chosen as a UN organization, and Obama Administration’s (US Dept. of State) “YALI” program under the Mandela Washington fellowship and more.  These things were already in place pre-2011, but as of 2011, apparently, they got a collective, unifying name and theme,  “GAIA Centers.”

~ ~OBVIOUSLY this is another Post in the Making…. ~ ~ Some of this information will be repeated on it…

Symoblism of “GAIA” as opposed to traditional Judaeo-Christian-Islamic (i.e., Abrahamic, Patriarchal) power structures — as government + religion + money IS a power structure anywhere, any time.

Gaea the Earth, Athenian red-figure kylix C5th B.C., Antikensammlung Berlin {viewed at http://theoi.com/Protagenos/Gaia.html}

You can easily see how warring versions of creation based on whether the primary god (goddess) was a He or a She, and whether or not intercourse was involved in creating their offspring (see “birth of Jesus Christ”), is still reflected in politics and finances today. The male and female Greek (and Roman) gods were also warring with each other over control of the offspring.  So, for the word “Geology” it looks like another version of Gaia” may be the root “Ge.”  ….  Here’s another version (the start of it, anyhow) website by Carlos Parada (the quote is marked by the maroon border):

From: http://www.maicar.com/GML/Gaia.html

Document belonging to the Greek Mythology Link, a web site created by Carlos Parada, author of Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology | Characters • Places • Topics • Images • Bibliography • PDF Editions || About • Copyright © 1997 Carlos Parada and Maicar Förlag.||

Gaia is the Earth. She is the offspring of Chaos or comes into being after it.

Gaia appears 

Gaia. 8838: Tellus. Roman relief, 13-9 BC. Marble, Ara Pacis. Royal Cast Collection, Copenhagen.

The first to exist was Chaos, a void of unexplained origin. After Chaos, Gaia appeared, whether she was the offspring of Chaos or not, and also Eros, through whom the whole Cosmos came to be; for the world is not created, but procreated through Love and intercourse. 

Uranus 

Then Gaia bore Uranus (Sky, or Heaven), as an equal to herself; for as the gods have in her a sure standing-place, they have, in Uranus, a secure resting place. This is why Heaven and Earth, though being different, are equal. And after Uranus, she brought forth, by herself, the MOUNTAINS and Pontus, the sea. But she gave birth to Uranus, so that he would cover her all over; so laying with him, she bore the TITANS, the CYCLOPES, and the HECATONCHEIRES. However, Uranus, hating his offspring, hid some or many of them away in a secret place on earth, or as some say, cast them into Tartarus, which is a gloomy place in the Underworld as far from Earth as Earth is from Heaven.

Gaia behind Cronos‘ coup d’état 

And since it seems to be written in the fate of stern tyrants that they will be conspired against, Gaia, grieved at the destruction of her children, and being strained and stretched inside her (where the children were hidden), addressed the TITANS, persuading them to attack their father. For this purpose she gave Cronos an adamantine sickle, with which he castrated his father, and dethroned him. …

…..to be continued elsewhere….

Or how does a joint venture enabled by Congress (the Port Authority) gain control over transportation infrastructure for an entire major port district, in New York and looks like part of New Jersey — and on 9/11 (15 year anniversary coming up soon) more than one building is taken down with the people still inside, the cause still not unanimously agreed upon, but the official “(NIST version) cause used to justify further war and civil rights violations nationwide?

I would also like to know just how far along this process is — almost done?  Over done? or is there any hope still of re-gaining some privacy, independence, mobility (a little hard if the entire transportation structure is under control of an authority which is controlled by very few people appointed only by governors, would you not say??)

“Detroit Creative Corridor Center” is the other half of the above logo and what it stands for.

The Detroit Creative Corridor Center (DC3) is a joint initiative between Business Leaders for Michigan and the College for Creative Studies.  It receives funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, The Kresge Foundation, Surdna Foundation, New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, fee-based consulting work and a variety of corporate partners.

That quote was from The James L. Knight Foundation’s blogpost, 8/25/2016 only,
Detroit as a UNESCO City of Design. Below, I looked at http://detroitc3.com/About-dc3 and noticed that one Executive Director has had a career in “economic development” growth, and the Interim Executive Director, a degree in international studies at DePaul in Chicago. While the DC3 team also has many women, the associated “Business Leaders for Michigan (both organizations — the 501©3 and related 501©4 are both predominantly, if not overwhelmingly male — and have been in a position of power, it seems, since the 1970s.

Business Leaders for Michigan turns out to be a dynamic duo nonprofit (501©3 and ©4 organization — with two more Political Action Committees, and a Disregarded Entity also listed on Schedule R Part I.

(1) RENAISSANCE VENTURE PARTNERS GP LLC  
600 RENAISSANCE CENTER
DETROIT, MI 482431801 (EIN#) 38-1941576

And modestly self-described, when answering the IRS question about “governance,” as:

BUSINESS LEADERS FOR MICHIGAN IS COMPRISED OF THE CHAIRPERSONS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, OR MOST SENIOR EXECUTIVES OF MICHIGAN’S LARGEST EMPLOYERS AND UNIVERSITIES AS SUCH, MANY OF THEM HAVE REGULAR BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER’S COMPANIES -IE PROVIDE UTILITIES, INSURANCE OR BANKING SERVICES SOME OF THEM ALSO SERVE ON EACH OTHER’S BOARDS OF DIRECTORS AS WELL

Many states — perhaps even all states — and/or metropolitan areas have their “Business Leaders” or “Business Roundtable” nonprofits — the concept has been around for many decades.  Watch out — they like to control, but not always so openly, and without direct accountability to the people who live in the areas they have …. development ….. plans for…

This group has been around in both forms since 1970, and its revenues are its membership dues (from both tax-exempts), which makes me wonder — where was this Business Leadership when Detroit went belly-up a few years ago — and now the same want to run the re-development and transformation of it as a Global Hub (etc.)?

“Venture Partners” =/= exactly “Venture Capital” but their team includes “Business Leaders for Michigan’s “Douglas Rothwell” so I think we are least in the Venture Capital “ballpark” with this website:

RENAISSANCE VENTURE CAPITAL FUND

http://www.renvcf.com: (over a large picture of a bridge with caption” Bridging Investment and Innovation”

Profitably investing in Michigan’s growth.

The Renaissance Venture Capital Fund is a Michigan-based fund that supports the growth of venture capital in Michigan while serving as a bridge between Michigan’s emerging innovation community and its strong industrial and commercial base.

Formed out of the groundbreaking “Road to Renaissance” initiative of Business Leaders for Michigan, the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund is the largest privately funded organization of its kind in the US. Renaissance was created by some of Michigan’s most important organizations to profitably invest in the state’s innovation and to serve as a connector of innovative start-up companies with strong, established businesses.

The investors in Renaissance recognized the importance of venture capital in the economic growth of the State as well as the financial rewards available to investors who mine the treasure of research and innovation present at Michigan’s world-class universities, institutions, and corporations.

Through its investment in top tier venture firms that are active in Michigan, as well as its own co-investments in emerging Michigan companies, the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund is helping to drive forward both innovation and growth of emerging companies in the region. And it is again proving that Michigan, with its unique combination of scientific, engineering and business talent, is a great place in which to invest.

Managed by this “Team”:  The sole woman in this photo does office support and H/R, she is “Chief Administrative Officer” and the men (not in order pictured — see site) are: CEO and Fund Manager, Principal, and “Vice President of Business Development”

Advisory Team of “Renaissance Venture Capital Fund” is four (men) only.  I’m showing Douglas Rothwell, but sincerely hope readers will click and read what the others have already been running and involved with.  And notice that its street address matches the BLM (Business Leaders of Michigan) nonprofit website street and suite# also:

DOUG ROTHWELL on both this RCNF (as Advisory Team) and BLFM:

Detroit Skyline photo (presumably) from “RENVCF.com”

Doug Rothwell has worked as an executive in the public, private and non-profit sectors having worked for three state Governor’s and two Fortune 500 companies.  Currently, Doug is President & CEO of Business Leaders for Michigan.  He helped form this organization {{Back in 1970?  That’s when it incorporated…}} and develop the Michigan Turnaround Plan, a five-step strategy to make Michigan a top ten state for job & economic growth that has gained broad support throughout the state. Prior to joining Detroit Renaissance, Doug served as Executive Director of Worldwide Real Estate for General Motors.

Doug also founded and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. During his ten-year tenure, Michigan was named the number one state for attracting and retaining corporate site location investments an unprecedented four years in a row, was cited for achieving one of the top business climates in the nation, and was consistently named the best state economic development agency. His work continues to serve as the foundation for much of Michigan’s economic development strategy, including: Renaissance Zones, Smart Zones, Brownfield redevelopment incentives, MEGA tax credits, economic development job training grants, M-TEC training centers, the NextEnergy initiative and business retention program. Previously he served as Chief of Staff to the Governor of Delaware and was an Executive Vice President at MBNA Corporation, the nation’s second largest credit card issuer (now part of Bank of America).

 

MEDC:MICH. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Quite a guy.  Many of these Team or Advisory Members show a connection to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation…(“MEDC”).  Links for MEDC show it’s a Public/Private Partnership (what else).  Leadership — I count only SIX people. A Board meets annually (not often!) to evaluate MEDC.  ”

For partners, this particular Detroit Creative Corridor (DC3) chose to partner with the College for Creative Studies, a private college of only 1,000+ degree-seeking students, but which has been around since 1915 (per corporation filings, I checked) and on my looking at its nonprofits, I see (as probably other private universities also do), it too, has some significant “Related Organizations” and is getting developers’ fees for rehabilitating a famous downtown Detroit “Argonaut Building.”

College for Creative Studies Tax Returns (Mini-Section).

Not advertised on the DC3 site — the street address for DC3 at the footer matches “ShinolaDetroit” which produces Watches, Bicycles and Leather (including leather straps for the watches), Journals, Pet Goods (and some other items) in revamped space inside that College for Creative Studies, and in a warehouse possibly right next to it.  My lookup at “Store Locator” shows 998 locations, starting with in London and Paris. THIS organization, it turns out, at least within the US, is owned by some entity in Texas — not Michigan! but apparently likes the help it can get from CCS students…

Look towards the bottom of this post under the heading “DC3 / BUSINESS LEADERS FOR MICHIGAN / COLLEGE FOR CREATIVE STUDIES — and Texas-owned, Swiss-Advised, and using Italian hi-tech machinery – SHINOLA/DETROIT

The “DC3” TEAM (from “detroit3.com” website)

That quote was from The James L. Knight Foundation’s blogpost, 8/25/2016 only,
Detroit as a UNESCO City of Design. However see also http://detroitc3.com/About-dc3 and notice that one Executive Director has had a career in “economic development” growth, and the Interim Executive Director, a degree in international studies at DePaul in Chicago.

“The DC3 Team” includes two other women and only one man, as I was expecting there to be a 501©3 perhaps involved here, I started with the top row of three (emphasis is on photos, clicking on “read bio” pops up the bios which I’ve copied here).  I included 4th bio of the only man involved in the team, no offense meant to the two other, also photogenic young women, Jessica Malouf and Meredith Kerekes not shown below.

Olga Stella, Exec Dir at “DC3”

Olga Stella is a seasoned economic development professional whose career has focused on economic and community development in Detroit. Olga got her start in economic development working for Mayor Dennis W. Archer after receiving her Masters in Public Policy from the Ford School at the University of Michigan. As Chief of Staff to then State Representative Steve Tobocman, Olga applied her policy skills to the critical challenges facing the Southwest Detroit community. The bulk of her career has been spent developing strategy and programs and managing operations at the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, the City’s nonprofit economic development agency. Olga and her family are proud to call Detroit home.

Ellie Schneider, “DC3” Interim Director

Ellie Schneider is an attorney and lifelong Detroiter responsible for managing programming and operations at DC3. After earning a B.A. in International Studies and minors in Community Service and African and Black Diaspora Studies at DePaul University in Chicago, Ellie returned to Detroit to study at Wayne Law focusing on urban policy and community development. She also took advantage of many opportunities to use her legal skills to pursue her passion for all things Detroit through her work with the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights and the Detroit Charter Revision Commission. Prior to joining DC3, Ellie practiced bankruptcy law with Schneider Miller, PC in downtown Detroit.

 

Melinda Anderson, “DC3” Creative Design

Melinda Anderson founded MeMe Design + Events in 2007, and has managed and produced large-scale corporate events, weddings, and social occasions for 20 to 2000, including events for the Detroit Opera House, Detroit Electronic Movement Festival, ESPN, Jay Leno, and Lee Iacocca. Committed to designing and understanding events in a way that few others do, Melinda always goes the extra mile to ensure the success of every event that she produces. She has helped to produced the Design Festival since its inception in 2011.

Born and raised in Detroit, Melinda has a bachelor’s in architecture from the University of Michigan, and has lived and worked abroad in Berlin and Palermo.

 

Melvin Henley – notice the “global” references and academics

Melvin joins the Detroit Creative Corridor Center team as part of the Detroit Revitalization Felllows Program. Born and raised in Chicago, Melvin earned his bachelor’s in journalism and public relations at Drake University and a master’s in arts and culture management from Queen Margaret University in the UK. Much to the surprise of his friends and family, Melvin decided he wanted to pursue a career in the creative sector his sophomore year of college.  This has allowed him to work in a variety of arts and culture organizations within the U.S. and abroad. A self-described “global professional,” Melvin is passionate about promoting intercultural dialogue and creative/cultural diversity both in and out of work. For fun, Melvin enjoys volunteering, spending time with friends and traveling.

SOME BACKGROUNDS of INVOLVED DC3″ INDIVIDUALS Above:

I see that the Damon J. Keith Center is at Wayne State University and named after a no doubt deservedly famous for his civil rights stand Judge. Here’s from the Damon J. Keith “Equity Action Lab” which in summer 2014 got $1.3M of funding from Kellog Foundation to further strengthen nonprofit leadership involving the categories “Cohort” “Facilitators” and the “Director, Associate Director, and Secretary” apparently Wayne State Employees.  Scrolling through the many faces listed, I noticed a representative from a chapter of CAIR:

In summer 2014, Wayne State University was awarded a three-year, $1.3 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to launch the Detroit Equity Action Lab at Wayne Law’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights.

This initiative, led by Keith Center Director and Professor Peter Hammer, will bring together 60 nonprofit organizations working in the many dimensions of racial equity, including arts and media, community development, education, environment, food security, health care and housing, to address issues of structural racism in Detroit.

Participants will learn how to build capacity for their organizations to work in racial equity workshops led by national subject matter experts. Through trainings and discussions, they will identify long-standing structural racism and create action plans to promote change. They will create policy recommendations and improve awareness about racial equity issues in the community.

Meet the 2014-15 cohort

 

PORT AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY

This post references the nonprofit NextCity article recommending the Port Authority be split up, into its NJ and NY sides due to evidence of political corruption of what was otherwise said to be a originally — in 1921–a great undertaking for funding bridges and tunnels between New York and New Jersey with obviously benefits to both states affecting the workforce:
It’s Time to Kill the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (<==a tinyurl shortlink) by Stephen J. Smith, January 15, 2014 in “NextCity.org” 

…which begins like this:

When the Port Authority of New York (and, later, New Jersey) was first created, it was a trailblazing agency. Its infrastructure projects were second to none — the George Washington Bridge, its first major project and most impressive, carries more traffic than any other vehicular bridge on earth. And its political structure as an independent authority overcame corruption and petty rivalries between the two states to build half a dozen crossings on the Hudson River. It was a triumph of progressivism.

But those days are long gone. The agency’s freshest scandal is extraordinarily brazen and petty, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s political ambitions have launched it into the national news. Tellingly, the George Washington Bridge lane closures scandal is actually one of the Port Authority’s more benign foibles in recent years.

The independent authority model was supposed to — and perhaps initially did — encourage professionalism and discourage political interference. Today, we seem to get the worst of both words out of the Port Authority. Its political independence is gone, but its financial independence remains intact and has enabled** a profligacy and string of failures that only the U.S. military could match.

Its most high-profile failure has been the reconstruction of the World Trade Center, which never had much of a relationship to bistate commerce in the first place.

**Whether or not this article proves its claim (or, opinion) that the “financial independence”  enabled this “profligacy and string of failures”… you can see how “9/11” and World Trade Center destruction — and redevelopment — are going to be a main issue.  (For those who may not be aware of or remember who the Governor of New Jersey was accused of causing the mayor of Fort Lee a nightmare through closed lanes on the famous bridge, see also the “Bridgegate” link below…).

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey shows up on New Jersey’s (and most likely also New York’s) CAFRs, but only as a “Joint Venture.”

Perhaps considering the major, historic changes to the United States of America and federal agencies since 9/11, some of my readers might want to at least read a few pages on how this agency, actually an “AUTHORITY” is described in State-issued financial reports, which explain what is a discrete, a blended, a component unit, or what are enterprises businesses (and so forth) within the state ???  I’ve already posted the link two posts ago).   See “MORE ON:  STATE of NJ CAFR & The PORT AUTHORITY” towards the bottom of this post.

However, in my upcoming post: How  501©3 “The Next American City,” with help from at least Five BIG Foundations, lost its “American,” while Devastated Detroit’s DESIGN is Anointed by UNESCO, NEXTCITY.org itself as the publication of a certain nonprofit formed only in 2002 is looked at more closely as a “Big-Five-Funded organization.

In that post I also exhibit the tax returns of the five foundations acknowledged on Next City’s “About” page and point out the activity of at least one more (Annie E. Casey) from some of its own financial filings for the State of New York.

Without this funding, the originally quarterly organization, which did take help from Rockefeller Foundation early on, might not still be solvent.  Print media journalism is competitive, and tough to break into and maintain over time, and it appears that this one has since gone mostly digital.  The State of New York Charitable Registries coughs up more filing information than does the state of Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania charges for anything much beyond “very basic” for its annual reports.  The transition in leadership of this organization as well as, apparently, moving its legal domicile from NY to NJ may also relate to WHO has been financing it.

I also don’t find it, given this funding, at all surprising to see the internationalization of the theme “Cities” and promotion of Detroit as a “City of Design.”  The business model here appears to be — let the infrastructure basically rot or fall into disrepair (where an act of God doesn’t destroy it) claiming budget deficit.  Then when the involved cities go “bankrupt” there is a fire-sale on redevelopment — which the same public who’s been living there meanwhile, gets to foot the bill through the “Public” part of public/private partnerships, such as we find under the “CNCS” (NationalService.gov) programs like “Social Innovation Fund” and others.

I have been looking at how it is that the US is becoming a UNESCO country, and why, apparently, part of this entails multiple shape-shifting nonprofits with shifty fiscal practices who, apparently, want the positive press, but not the back story on their corporations, to be identified or scrutinized.

I identified as also relevant to this blog’s concern with FAMILY COURT matters that the family courts are considered “problem-solving” (subject-matter jurisdiction) courts, and that state jurisdictions — where MOST of our legal rights and also regulations occur — are being undermined as “undesirable” in the federalized/privatized model in which government services, and/or how to deliver them, is increasingly privatized, regionalized, standardized.

Delivery of services, trainings, is “digitized” that is, delivered, technically assisted and trained, and downloaded electronically) , and centrally controlled. Already we know that many of the providers of this scope of internet tend to be military or former military corporations who, through the massive communication, transportation, supply-and-demand tracking and organization which WAR requires, already had the capacity to turn this to “peacetime” uses such as population control.

• Dyncorps (<==Wiki, or see Funding Universe, although this seems to only go up to 2002, and I have a sticky post (#10 of 10 at top of the blog) on this one):
  • DynCorp International/ˈdaɪn.kɔːrp/^[6] is an American private military contractor.^[7] Begun as an aviation company, the company also provides flight operations support, training and mentoring, international development, intelligence training and support, contingency operations, security, and operations and maintenance of land vehicles.^[8]DynCorp receives more than 96% of its more than $3 billion in annual revenues from the U.S. federal government.^[1][9]

While the identity of how and where this control (power block) actually resides is complicated through dispersal and through multiple layers of 501©3s (and (4s) and (6s), in sizes, giant, medium, small, and invisible (except for the websites) in size.

Outsourced to nonprofit corporations (and their subcontractors — or direct government entity subcontractors) as 1996 PRWORA Welfare Reform gave a serious “kick in the butt” fast-forward through block grants to the States (encouraging, it said, flexibility, but time has shown, increased centralization and cronyism in the matter of the marriage/fatherhood and access/visitation grants).

By “solving” the problems of family conflict (as opposed to child abuse or domestic violence for which laws against this behavior already existed), this particular solution neatly solved the problem of people being actually prosecuted for criminal activity towards their family much further than breaking up the family unit and kicking it forward to the family courts, where the federal “reunification” and “co-parenting” and “single-parenting is bad” model kicks in.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I have some personal points of reference for a similar process (on the individual / family level), but decided they belong at the bottom of this post, that is, if I do include them at all this time, as possibly helping anyone else understand why identifying levels of honesty / dis-honesty in any operation is so important, as well as putting one’s hands on the paper trails involved.  People are dishonest about many things in life, but generally speaking, when they are something financial, criminal, or less than ethical is involved.  Otherwise, why the dishonesty?

The same is true with how philanthropy is being portrayed in this country (and internationally) as consistently the good guys, the problem-solving guys, the heroes, as are our elected and appointed government officials dealing with them.   Are they?

For people who take some time to take even a series of samples (a cursory look) at federal agency websites referring to grants, at tax returns of named grantees, at business filings of some major grantees, and at the formation of a nonprofit trade association for nearly any major governmental function in the United States, at State (Governors, Courts, Legislatures), at Regional (as to Child Support Directors), at subject-matter specific (as I show on the table of contents page — AFCC, NCJFCJ, AND the key domestic violence organizations too) — these are often operating with an international scope and business model.

Possibly this awareness of a coming “New World Order” (or of just how much of it is already in place) may relate to the little respect shown for state regulations of commerce, taxation, and business filings across many fields.

~+~+~+~+~
IF the massive philanthropies, investment platforms that coordinate distribution of, say, 5% or so of their yearly revenues, while many of them provide tax-exemption help for their owners’ personal income taxes. are in fact, as a sector, society’s compassionate heroes, then what’s with all the diversification and creating mazes and networks of influence, of smaller nonprofits indebted to larger (say, intermediary or community foundations)??  is that patriotic, sensible, ethical, and upholding principles of government — or just devious and maintaining a standard of IMPOSSIBLE TO EFFECTIVELY TRACK throughout the collegial relationships?

And what’s with the community foundations, whose loyalty ought to be to their community, behaving as I just showed the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven (Connecticut), which omitted its Schedule I details (showing actual) grantee information, and moved $1.5 billion to the Cayman Islands and/or offshore in 2015, while continuing to sponsor and advertise for the New Haven Family Alliance which, according to the Connecticut Business Filings database, has not filed its annual reports for years (since 2011 or 2012) and, while I DNR that post series, I do seem to recall that they had the EIN# revoked by the IRS around the same time, also.

Without an assessment of the holdings, and the revenues from at least the government entities (individually, pooled, and/or collectively) how is it possible to verify the deficit?  Start looking at some Form 990s (large, medium, and small) and remind yourself that, as with corporations, so with governments — Revenues and Expenses are usually based on the year — annual.  This is entirely different from Assets to Liabilities.  It’s also different depending on the reporting entity, whether government or private corporation.

One way to become quickly informed about the perspective is to start realizing just how little is actually distributed (often)  of a platform’s earnings, and that, for most, they retain the assets (investment platforms), and spin off other nonprofits, coordinate to decide which nonprofits should be supported, and that they should be supported as a sector — instead of assessing — HONESTLY — the scope of government income-producing assets held OFF_budget (or, lost in transit), the lack of proper monitoring of grants, the lack of provision for proper databases by which the public might voluntarily track public funds from specific agencies, in specific states or geographies, and through specific organizations.

When a city goes bankrupt, or its urban infrastructure is SO bad it needs a coordinated task force of both government and private (foundations, with the associated wealth behind the foundations) to rescue and rebuild it — the question to ask is were any of the “redeveloper” partnerships passive parties to letting it deteriorate, year after year?

HOW did it go belly-up in the first place, if not through exacerbation and prolongation of a previously existing caste system based in relative positioning of ALL people regarding the Internal Revenue Code, itself a major collector for federal revenues.  HOW can we go this long and not recognize that the accumulation of investment platforms through a widely dispersed — but privately WELL-coordinated — series of independently wealth tax-exempt foundations under private control, and often named after the major corporate builders of the early or mid-1900s, including some of the corporate wealth notably built up by the war machine?

PORT AUTHORITY:

This port authority was formed by interstate compact in 1921 during a Progressive Era, and when Woodrow Wilson was Governor of NJ, before he became President.

I was referencing this well-known authority as it came up under the CAFR topic and to explain (under the topic of UNESCO) the problems with accountability failures by the public in understanding our basic public institutions — including authorities such as this — and including the significance of the CAFR system as enabling major-level bribery, corruption, and abuse of privilege by elected and appointed officials at the State (at least level).

Consider how commonly it is still assumed, at least in most of the mainstream media, that the World Trade Towers was caused by those planes and not a planned demolition in light of a recent lease and another way to solve, among other things, the asbestos-lawsuits problems.

I was surprised to find the “Bridgegate” article below, and decided to brush up on my understanding of this entity.  There are summer, 2016, articles in the NYTimes about more than just Governor Christie’s role in punishing a local mayor for failing to endorse him.  I am also reading (below) about a former NY Attorney General, David Samson, who forced United Airlines to re-institute a money-losing flight from Newark International Airport (part of this NY/NJ Port District — its scope shown in a map and with links below) to South Carolina.  Just google “Port Authority of NY/NJ” and click on some of the NYTimes articles.

I also recall how Walter Burien (CAFRman.com) explained that his first comprehension of the CAFR situation related to this particular authority, or involved its financial statements.

http://www.panynj.gov/about/history-port-authority.html.

NY and NJ in 1921 needed consent of Congress to form this interstate compact…
Not that I’m agreeing or disagreeing with the Bloomberg summary but it provides a summary of what the Port District and this Authority encompasses:

April 29, 2015 “Think Bridgegate was Bad?  The Port Authority is a Daily Disaster” 

One of America’s most important infrastructure agencies is malfunctioning because of chronic political interference by Peter McCoy in Bloomberg.com. (quotation marked by red box and light-blue background content)…

More Public/Private Partnerships for infrastructure re-development. Check out some of the sponsor icons to this conference being held soon at CUNY (see image caption):

PortAuthorityNYNJConf.com (quote marked by red box)

“PortauthorityNYNJConf.com” shows upcoming 9/21/2016 CUNY (City University of NY) conference for Construction Industry, “Building Relationships for Lasting Success” and talking about the major reconstruction/development projects with this Port Authority

Continuing News:

NYT articles on this topic, most recent near the top, among them:

Christie “Flat-out Lied” in Bridge Case, Aide Says (8/10/2016 by Patrick McGeehan)

Photo from NYT 8/10/2016 article in NY/Region, “Christie ‘Flat-Out Lied” says Aide…”

A former ally of the governor, David Wildstein, who pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy in the case, has contended that evidence exists to show that Mr. Christie knew about the plot as it was being carried out. But Ms. Renna is the first former member of Mr. Christie’s staff to accuse him of lying about the matter.

Ms. Renna sent the texts on Dec. 13, 2013, as Mr. Christie was fielding questions from reporters about his knowledge of the scheme to tie up traffic three months earlier on the New Jersey side of the bridge. The filing was made by lawyers for Bill Baroni, who was Mr. Christie’s top executive appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the bridge.

Federal prosecutors contend that two lanes leading to the bridge were abruptly closed to punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., for declining to endorse Mr. Christie’s bid for re-election. Mr. Baroni and Bridget Anne Kelly, a former deputy chief of staff to Mr. Christie, a Republican, are scheduled to stand trial in the case next month.

And on July 21, 2016, in the Op Ed (Opinion Page) by “The Editorial Staff”

Port Authority Overhaul Way Overdue

Privately, it was known as “Samson Air” or sometimes “The Chairman’s Flight.” In 2012, United Airlines decided to reinstate its money-losing flights between Newark and Columbia, S.C., leaving New Jersey on Thursday evenings and returning on Monday mornings.

Those flights turned out to be a special deal for David Samson, once one of New Jersey’s most powerful lawyers and Gov. Chris Christie’s choice in 2011 to be chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Mr. Samson, who pleaded guilty to a felony count of bribery last week, admitted that as head of the authority that controls Newark Liberty International Airport, among other major facilities in the region, he had pressured United Airlines to schedule the flights he regularly took to Columbia in return for approving a new hangar that United needed at Newark. (The flight was canceled shortly after Mr. Samson resigned from the authority in 2014, and the airline paid a penalty of $2.25 million.)

Mr. Samson’s guilty plea is part of the bizarre saga that began when at least one of Mr. Christie’s associates forced the closing of lanes to the George Washington Bridge three years ago. The traffic nightmare that resulted was designed as political revenge against a local mayor who failed to endorse Mr. Christie for re-election. Mr. Samson was not charged with conspiring to create the gridlock, but another Christie associate has pleaded guilty in the bridge scandal and others are awaiting trial.

And yet another, a week earlier (7/14/2016 by Patrick McGeehan): David Samson, Ally of Christie, Admits to Bribery over Airline Route

David Samson, the former chairman of the Port Authority, in 2014. Federal prosecutors investigated Mr. Samson’s use of his position to benefit himself and his former law firm, Wolff & Samson. Credit Richard Perry/The New York Times

David Samson, a longtime friend of Gov. Chris Christie, pleaded guilty to a felony count of bribery on Thursday and admitted that he had pressured United Airlines to operate a weekly flight to South Carolina for his personal convenience.

The plea, which was offered before Judge Jose L. Linares of United States District Court in Newark, appears to put an end to Mr. Samson’s career as a public official and power broker. And it casts a shadow over the political fortunes of Mr. Christie, a New Jersey Republican who until this week had been considered a potential running mate for Donald J. Trump, the party’s presumptive nominee for president…

Mr. Fishman [U.S. Attorney for NJ] said that Mr. Samson, 76, had abused his position at the agency by coercing United to reinstate a canceled route between Newark Liberty International Airport and Columbia, S.C., near one of Mr. Samson’s homes. He said Mr. Samson had threatened to block the construction of a maintenance hangar for United at the airport unless the airline restored the “money-losing” flight. …

Tall and broad-shouldered, Mr. Samson, a former New Jersey attorney general, spoke on Thursday in a soft voice when the judge asked if he understood that he could spend up to two years in prison and that his license to practice law might be affected. He said he did.

Mr. Fishman also announced that Jamie Fox, a former executive of the Port Authority and former transportation commissioner in New Jersey appointed by Mr. Christie, had been charged with conspiring to commit bribery in connection with the flight. Mr. Fox, who was a lobbyist for United, advised Mr. Samson on how to pressure the airline to acquiesce to his demand, Mr. Fishman said.

This is horrible.

I even see an article by “NextCity.org” — “It’s Time to Kill the Port Authority.”

The article seems more detailed, again noting that the overspending on rebuilding the World Trade Center is accompanied by ignoring actual transportation problems which the Authority was originally set up to handle.  However, I didn’t know who “NextCity: Inspiring Better Cities” is, and on finding out it’s based in Philadelphia (within commute distance) and talking about “Sustainable, equitable futures” (for cities), I feel obligated to mention who’s been funding it:

Originally named The Next American City, the organization began publishing a quarterly magazine in 2003. What started as a black-and-white printed publication staffed by volunteers ultimately grew into a popular and influential magazine that reached 1 million people over the course of its 31 issues. Today, Next City is a trusted voice on urban policy, reaching more than 2.5 million readers through its website and influencing conversations across the media landscape. If you are interested in inviting Next City to join your next event, please reach out through our Meet the Experts page.

Next City deeply appreciates its current funders: Ford Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Surdna Foundation, The Knight Foundation, and The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, as well as our many other generous donors across the country. Support Next City’s work by making a 100% tax-deductible donation today.

The Knight Foundation refers to the newspaper industry, and lists in which cities it has program directors on its About page also. They also reference (besides the 8 cities quoted) the 18 mid-sized ones, which includes Duluth, MN.

Communities

We invest in civic innovators who help cities attract and keep talented people, expand economic opportunity and create a culture of engagement. We believe that the design of places plays an outsize role in achieving these goals.

We work in 26 communities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight owned newspapers. Resident program directors oversee our grant-making in eight: Akron, Ohio; Charlotte, N.C.; Detroit; Macon, Ga.; Miami; Philadelphia; San Jose, Calif.; and St. Paul, Minn. We partner with community foundations in the remaining 18.

Our foundation has invested more than $841 million in community initiatives since its creation in 1950. We want our national network of learning to inspire the actions of residents in each of our communities and help us build a better democracy and a successful future.

Knight works in 18 small to mid-sized communities through the local community foundations in partnership with Program Director Lilly Weinberg. Learn more about this program. [para. out of order]…

Click that link to see yet more evidence of coordinated tax-exempt foundation funding — again working through as it says, tax-exempt community foundation endowments, some of which are more “transparent” than others, and focusing on sharing ideas, for “what works” to create, well, their collectivist visions:

The Knight Community Foundations Program serves to advance informed and engaged communities by working in transformational ways with community foundations and their leaders.

The nature of the relationship we have with our network of partners in each of our 26 Knight Communities is invaluable. To date we have committed to giving at least $140 million to community foundation endowments. The leadership behind these organizations is not only supported by our assets, but increasingly by our efforts to ease the flow of information between all of us so that we may learn and lead more effectively.

UNESCO DECLARES (“Name It/Claim It”)

Detroit as a CITY OF DESIGN

And, “whaddaya know…”  Here’s Knight Foundation, TODAY (8/25/2016 as I write)  blogging about Detroit as a UNESCO City of Design.  Notice how it’s the first American “City of Design” and that the phrase “accelerator” is used.  Meanwhile, Detroit recently made (in)famy for bankruptcy (so-called) some years back (to get to the website one is directed first through Knight Foundation’s Facebook on this topic):

Designing a better future: Detroit’s history as a center of design reinvigorates its renewal (by Amy Haimerl, 8/25/2016 post)

Recently named a City of Design by UNESCO, Detroit is the cradle of American design. And for Detroit’s leaders, design is about more than an aesthetic—it goes to the very heart of how the city works. …

This isn’t a backwater that we just decided to be a design capital,” said Olga Stella, executive director of the Detroit Creative Corridor Center (DC3), an accelerator and advocate for Detroit’s creative economy. “From the beginning, we’ve influenced the future choices of people around the world.”

And design is about to influence the future of Detroit.

Of course, it goes on and on.  Here’s that DC3 Accelerator — calling itself an “organization” — and describing who is involved, notice the sectors and funders, and that its statement of who it represents does NOT mention, first, citizens of USA/state of Michigan, residency area, Detroit:

The Detroit Creative Corridor Center (DC3) is metropolitan Detroit’s creative industries advocacy organization.  It provides the leadership, resources, exposure, data and analytics necessary to elevate the economic output and social impact of Detroit’s creative economy. Its vision is to grow creative sector jobs in the Detroit region and to establish Detroit as a recognized global center for design, creativity and innovation.

“Detroit Creative Corridor Center” is the other half of the above logo and what it stands for.

The Detroit Creative Corridor Center (DC3) is a joint initiative between Business Leaders for Michigan and the College for Creative Studies.  It receives funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, The Kresge Foundation, Surdna Foundation, New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, fee-based consulting work and a variety of corporate partners.

That’s:  the state Economic Development Corp (public funds), the US Small Business Administration (Public funds), three listed foundations, and I DNK whether “New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan” is a program of a public or private source, but finding out shouldn’t be too hard.

Footnotes to the Process of Takeover of Valuables — How it seems to happen, and why up-front awareness of one’s surroundings and family financials. is SO important.

Again, in the USA we are being told it’s one big family (as well as through UNESCO, simultaneously and at points in conflict with it, it’s one big global family and a global citizenship we should pay our dues to and subscribe to) (as well as, I should mention, that the public has been told that “family courts” are a good thing — except where they’re “flawed” and need “fixing” or don’t provide for “Safe Kids” or help “Battered Mothers” and create an entire class of distressed, destroyed, and/or legitimately angry individuals, “Protective Parents”)

Families are points of connection, but at times they are truly over-rated.  And those who are in the business of breaking them up should NOT be granted the business of putting them back together again!

The same is true of cities, communities, or countries.

MORE ON:

NEW JERSEY’s CAFR & PORT AUTHORITY of NY/NJ

Link to cover page and CAFR for State of NJ, quotation from the plus part referencing the Port Authority of NY/NJ.  

In that post I’d been looking for the International Institute for Peace (or anything approaching a line-item entry relating to it at Rutgers, well after it’d been named a UNESCO Category 2 “Institute” in 2011)… Funny how when I keep looking for missing financial accountability, I continue to run into something named and claimed by UNESCO or under a UNESCO “Sustainable Development Goal” as they are now called (aiming for the year 2030)…

Essentially, I was looking then (and as to the Port Authority, I would also be looking) to identify under what FUND these belonged, and how they were classified.  The NJ CAFR (page 17, link right below next quote) defines their  basic use of the word FUND, which perhaps we ought to start talking in terms of also,. when referring to governmental activities and projects:

Fund Financial Statements

A fund is a fiscal and accounting entity with a self-balancing set of accounts recording cash and other financial resources together with all related liabilities and residual equities or balances, and changes therein, which is segregated for the purpose of carrying on specific activities or attaining certain objectives in accordance with special regulations, restrictions, or limitations. The State’s fund financial statements reflect financial reporting practices in accordance with this definition. The State’s funds, which exclude component units, are divided into three categories: governmental, proprietary, and fiduciary.

 

FULL CAFR: the 2015 New Jersey CAFR (full document) from STATE.NJ.TREASURY.US/omb/Publications

State of NJ CAFR for FYE June 30, 2015 (=fiscal year 2014) — Title Page

“Report on the Financial Statements

“We have audited the accompanying financial state-ments of the governmental activities, the business- type activities, the aggregate discretely presented component units, each major fund, and the aggregate remaining fund information of the State of New Jersey, as of and for the year ended June 30, 2015, and the related notes to the financial statements, which collectively comprise the state’s basic financial statements as listed in the table of contents.

Our responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements based on our audit. We did not audit the financial statements of the pensions and other employee benefits trust funds and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey**which represent 92 percent of the assets and 46 percent of the revenues (including additions to fiduciary net assets) of the aggregate remaining fund information, and 100 percent of the information disclosed in Note 2-F of the basic financial statements, respectively. …

The financial statements of the pensions and other employee benefits trust funds, and two discretely presented component units, the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, were not audited in accordance with Government Auditing Standards …

In addition, we did not audit the financial statements of the discretely presented component units. Our opinion on the aggregate discretely presented component units is based solely upon audit reports prepared by other auditors and furnished to us. …

Back in 1921, Congresses of two different states:  New York, and New Jersey, basically gave 12 commissioners control over the entire Port District area, through appointed Executive Directors, and this “Port Authority”(see yellow highlighting, above), wasauthorized and directed to plan, develop, and operate terminals and other facilities of transportation and commerce. (Link again to full CAFR so you can read page 64, the financials page — showing $41B assets, and $23.9B Consolidated (including special project) Bonds and other obligations(debt), and overall, total $26B Liabilities, leaving a net positive assets of $14B as of YE December 31, 2014.

• Only one of the two executive directors was killed on 9/11/2001…

MORE ON:

DC3 | “Business Leaders for Michigan” | College for Creative Studies — and | “Shinola/Detroit” (a Texas entity with Swiss advisors and Italian hi-tech machinery, plus international sales)

The street address for DC3 at the footer matches “ShinolaDetroit” which produces Watches, Bicycles and Leather (including leather straps for the watches), Journals, Pet Goods (and some other items) in revamped space inside that College for Creative Studies, and in a warehouse next to it.  My lookup at “Store Locator” shows 998 locations, starting with in London and Paris.

A Swiss-based, family-owned firm Ronda, Ltd. trains the watchmakers, the leather is worked on Italian-designed machines, but I guess this is all still bringing back manufacturing to Detroit, with help from hungry creative arts students, no doubt.  “Our Story — Why Open a Watch Factory in Detroit?”  (See also “FAQs” and “Are products made in America?”)

We transformed 30,000 square feet of raw space into a state-of-the-art watch factory inside the College for Creative Studies within the historic Argonaut building. Our production combines meticulous hand-assembly with the most advanced technology available to ensure our watches are both beautiful and built to last.

View this short film for a look at our watch assembly process. Our watch teams underwent extensive training through Ronda AG, our Swiss partner.

---

The 12,000-square-foot Shinola Leather Factory produces small leather goods and over 50 percent of our watch straps, using traditional labor-intensive methods as well as modern hi-tech custom-made Italian machinery. Like all of our leather goods, these products are made from leather tanned in some of America’s oldest and finest tanneries.

Located next door to the Shinola Leather Factory is our Leather Studio where our bags and small leather goods are crafted from sketch to sample by our designers. In the future these designs will be built in Detroit, but in order to meet current demand for our leather goods, we’ve partnered with a hand-selected group of American manufacturers across the country to achieve our full production at scale.

LARA (Licensing and Regulatory Authority) for Michigan Business Search page shows Five”Shinola” LLCs and the assumed name is owned by someone in Texas, with first application in October, 2011.  Shinola/Detroit LLC was asked for around the same time, Shinola Leather Co., LLC in 2013, Shinola Shoe Care, LLC, formed in 2/2012 and dissolved by 2/10/2012 (indicates deliberately, may not be related), Shinola Hospitality, LLC, only formed 8/2015, and plain old “Shinola, LLC” (actually in Detroit for a registered agent address) formed in 2005 but “not in good standing” since 2008.  The registered agent is “Corporation Service Company.”  If readers can view the images (I can’t currently), this may provide Texas owner’s name.

!!!!

“Business Leaders for Michigan” sounds like a nonprofit. In fact, and since 1970, it appears to be two nonprofits (one is labeled “Foundation”) and the assumed name:

Here’s the “Detail” page for one of the two rows above labeled “Corporation.”  Some may be able to “View Images” by clicking on the camera icon — currently I can’t (I used to be able to, a “plug-in ” on my device seems to be missing).

Both Organizations are Related and on Schedule “R” there is also a “Disregarded” entity, “Renaissance Venture Capital Fund” at the same address.    In addition, on Schedule R are two more “Political Action Funds,” EIN#s 27-3999152 and 27-3999229.

The board leadership is overwhelmingly male (out of 85 participants) and for both organizations, the contributions are primarily “Membership dues” (Part VIII Line 1).  The 990O below is a 501©4, and is holding about $1M in public traded securities. The “Foundation” (Form 990 filer) below shows the “DC Corridor project” in its fine-print, jammed-together description of what it does.  It claims “0” employees but does show under $100K of salaries.

I recognize several famous names on the “Business Leaders” Page (DeVos, Ford, Jr., Van Andel, John C. Kennedy), but people who live closer to Michigan may recognize more.  In fact, their Schedule O” supplementing an answer to Part VI of the 990 reads:

BUSINESS LEADERS FOR MICHIGAN IS COMPRISED OF THE CHAIRPERSONS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, OR MOST SENIOR EXECUTIVES OF MICHIGAN’S LARGEST EMPLOYERS AND UNIVERSITIES AS SUCH, MANY OF THEM HAVE REGULAR BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER’S COMPANIES -IE PROVIDE UTILITIES, INSURANCE OR BANKING SERVICES SOME OF THEM ALSO SERVE ON EACH OTHER’S BOARDS OF DIRECTORS AS WELL

Search Again

Both labeled (Header Info) ℅ SABRINA KEELEY
600 RENAISSANCE CENTER NO 1760 DETROIT, MI 482431801

BUSINESS LEADERS FOR MICHIGAN IS AN ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO MAKING MICHIGAN A “TOP TEN” STATE FOR JOB, ECONOMIC AND PERSONAL INCOME GROWTH